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Alaska

AlaskaDestinations for this Port

Welcome to AlaskaPortReviews.com! Cruising
Alaska in the summertime is one of life’s true joys. The scenery, the
cultural experience and the closeness to nature all make an Alaskan cruise
a wonderful vacation choice. There are a ton of things to do in Alaska and
many excellent shore excursions.. If you like hiking,
fishing and generally just getting into the out of doors, this is
certainly an option not requiring much of an investment. Shopping is
excellent, as are more orthodox sightseeing opportunities.

There are really four
different types of cruises in Alaska and each offers different sightseeing
opportunities.

Inside Passage
Cruises: Just about every major cruise line offers Inside Passage
cruises during the summer. These cruises generally depart from either
Seattle or Vancouver and make their way up the inside passage visiting
South East Alaska’s ports as far north as Skagway before returning to
their port of departure. This is a great way to see much of what Alaska is
all about, as there is usually one-day glacier viewing at one of the
national parks. These are great cruises for folks that are concerned about
motion sickness, as there is very little exposure to the open ocean.

Northbound/Southbound
Cruises: These cruises either depart from Vancouver in the south or
Seward in the north and traverse the length of Alaska between the two.
These are usually 7-day cruises, as well as Inside Passage cruises but
generally include a stop in Sitka and additional glacier viewing to the
north. Folks would select one of these if they want to see something new
every day, or if they intend to continue on for a stay in Anchorage, Denali
Park, Mt. McKinley or Fairbanks, Alaska.

In my experience, I
prefer a southbound route, as there is a major letdown debarking in Seward
and either staying or transferring to Anchorage. I much prefer
terminating the cruise in Vancouver.

Adventure Cruises:
Cruise West and Glacier Bay Cruises offer 7-day adventure cruises that
generally depart either Sitka or Juneau and operate between the two
cities. These are great for folks more interested in seeing Alaska’s
unique flora and fauna as well as getting up close and personal with
Alaska’s beautiful natural beauty. The smaller boats lack the intensity of
the larger ships but more than make up for it with their ability to roam
freely throughout the area and exploit opportunities as they present
themselves.

Alaska Cruise/Tours:
This is a packaged event offered by many of the cruise lines that
incorporates a cruise from Vancouver up to Skagway where one transfers to
a motor coach to continue on with a land tour of Alaska. These are great
for folks that want to explore more of Alaska’s vast interior and still
take in the beauty of the Inside Passage and the main ports in South East
Alaska that are only accessible by ship or ferry. Alaska Cruise/Tours
operate both northbound and southbound and again, I prefer taking a
southbound as the excitement of the cruise at the end of the vacation and
ease of debarking in Vancouver for a shorter flight home is very
favorable.